Mary Jane's ROUGH Early Days in the Spider-Marriage

 

After marrying Spider-Man, MJ didn't get peace -- she got supervillains, stalkers, and Venom lying in wait. I continue my retrospective on the early marriage years this week at CBR.

Spider-Man and MJ's G-Rated Honeymoon Adventures

 

Peter Parker and Mary Jane enjoyed two wholesome honeymoons, as an era of Spider-Man drew to a close. My retrospective on the Marriage Years continues this week at CBR. 

What Happened After Spider-Man's (Botched) Proposal to Mary Jane?

In the romantic city of Pittsburg, a 1987 storyline continued Peter Parker and MJ's engagement journey. My retrospective on the early Spider-Man marriage years continues this week at CBR.

I Thee Web: Spider-Man's Chaotic Engagement to Mary Jane

Spider-Man's engagement to MJ created turmoil in the comic book series...and behind-the-scenes. I begin a new series devoted to the early "marriage years" this week at  CBR. Spread the word!

Spider-Man's Film Debut Nearly Featured Green Goblin…AND Dr. Octopus?

 

This week at CBR, I look at David Koepp's first draft for 2002's Spider-Man. Far more comics accurate..and, for some reason, Dr. Octopus is also included.

When Spider-Man: The Animated Series Brought Morbin' Time to Fox Kids

 

This week at CBR, I revisit Morbius' animated debut, which maybe convinced Hollywood the public desperately wanted more of ol' pug-nose. 

The Oddest Comics of the '90s -- Marvel's Illustrated Investor Reports?

 

While operating as a publicly traded company, Marvel issued financial report/comic hybrids festooned with Wolverine and Spider-Man...and some truly stunning relics of the era. Herb Trime at his Rob-iest! I revisit this week at CBR.

Marvel’s Homage to Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends Was Long Overdue

 

I'm covering a comic I didn't know existed until recently at CBR this week...the first "canonical" meeting of Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends!

Did Spider-Man Lose His Virginity In Stan Lee's Film Pitch?

 

I'm revisiting Stan Lee's 1990 attempt to pitch a Spider-Man movie at CBR this week, which does indeed feature the deflowering of one Peter Benjamin Parker. And I feel vindicated now, guessing all those years ago, that the Stan Lee/Peter David story in the Ultimate Spider-Man anthology was in fact an adaptation of this treatment.

The Lost Scenes in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man Trilogy

 

I revisit twenty years of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy this week, specifically the number of scenes that remain on the cutting room floor (including a 2002 appearance from Eddie Brock and Kirsten Dunst dancing in her underwear).

Spider-Man's First Film Treatment Was Influenced by Frank Miller, Oddly Enough

 

I'm looking back at Jim Shooter's initial pitch for a Spider-Man movie, going back to around 1984. You can also enjoy random comments from people who think I didn't know Kingpin began as a Spider-Man villain, for some reason. By the way, an attempt was made to adapt this treatment as a graphic novel, but it was never finished. Heritage Auctions has archived Larry Lieber's penciled pages.

Aunt May, Spider-Killer!

Amazing Fantasy #15 has been adapted countless times, but never quite like it was in "Arsenic and Aunt May" from 1981's Spider-Man. This week at CBR, I revisit this oddity.

Don't Look for These Spider-Man Shows on Disney+

This week, I'm looking at a few Spider-Man shows you can't find on Disney+. Will we lose Nicholas Hammond's Spidey forever?

What If the '80s Spider-Man Movie Was Actually Pretty Good?

Truth is, they had a solid script. The second installment of my new Page One Rewrite series looks back at the Cannon Films Spidey film that came darn close to happening.

How a Spider-Man/Ghost Rider Team-Up Influenced HBO's Spawn

Spikes and chains and disturbing acts... how did two issues of Spider-Man influence HBO's brutal cult classic cartoon? Find out this week at CBR.

This Post Will Not Be Followed With a New #1

It wouldn’t be accurate to say that the post-clone titles bombed.  I think “languished” would be a better term.  Most of the books were decent sellers, but Spider-Man still wasn’t competing with the X-titles, and there didn’t seem to be much enthusiasm from the fans.  What worked and what didn’t?

The Art

All of the artists assigned to the books in late 1996 would seem to be commercial draws.  Steve Skroce and Luke Ross were coming from the X-titles (okay, they did X-Man, but that’s still an X-title), Mike Wieringo had done some fill-ins for the X-titles and had built a name for himself at DC, and John Romita, Jr. was a Marvel legend with lengthy stints on Amazing Spider-Man, Uncanny X-Men, Iron Man, and Daredevil in the past.  Cracks develop early on however, with Skroce dropping out of Amazing a few issues in and Ross’ cartoony style not meshing with DeMatteis’ psychologically dark stories in Spectacular.  In addition, Wieringo seems to struggle to find a style that fits Spidey for a while there, and Romita’ title is given some extremely disappointing fill-in artists.  On any given month, the average quality of art in the Spider-Man books could only charitably be called “inconsistent.”  It’s a shame that the most consistent writer wasn’t paired with the most consistent artist -- why didn’t Ralph Macchio pair DeMatteis/Romita together on Amazing Spider-Man?

The Villains

The Clone Saga concluded with the “shocking” reveal that the original Green Goblin, Norman Osborn, had been behind the entire fiasco.  And even though Norman apparently died yet again in the closing chapter, there was no doubt that he would be returning soon.  Marvel actually showed some restraint and waited a year before giving Norman his big comeback in Spectacular Spider-Man #250.  There is a sense that the creators were often spinning their wheels while waiting for Norman’s return.  Dr. Octopus was revived, Electro got a power-up, and the Chameleon fought off insanity long enough to learn Spider-Man’s secret ID, but none of those storylines were sold as Big Important Events.  It’s obvious that Marvel considered the original Green Goblin to be the villain with the most marketing potential, and to be fair, his return issue in Spectacular is executed very well.  

Within a few months, however, it’s clear that the creators have no real interest in doing Norman Osborn stories, or at the very least, can’t think of anything worthwhile for him to do.  He buys the Daily Bugle, threatens some cast members, and tries to sell “m’boy” as a catchphrase, but he doesn’t seem to do an awful lot.  The creators even seem reluctant to have him don the Goblin disguise again, leading to an utterly pointless mystery surrounding the new Green Goblin.  (I thought we were supposed to be psyched to see the original Green Goblin!)  The books have an awful lot invested in Norman’s return, and when that eventually flops, the dearth of credible villains becomes even more obvious.  Even when one of Spider-Man’s foes actually accomplishes something, like in the Chameleon story mentioned above, the story just exists in the vacuum of one title.  Spider-Man never seems particularly concerned in his other titles about this villainous loon learning his secret identity, and within a few issues, it’s even forgotten in Spectacular Spider-Man itself.

The Supporting Cast  

Everyone knows Spider-Man has the greatest supporting cast in comics, right?  So why is it that this two-year period brings us only one memorable storyline featuring a supporting cast member?  Inserting Flash Thompson into an alcoholism storyline probably isn’t the greatest use of Flash, but J. M. DeMatteis does generate a lot of credible character work out of the idea.  Yet, if you followed any of the other titles, you wouldn’t even see an acknowledgement of the ongoing storyline starring Peter’s oldest friend/rival.  Instead, each book seems to claim a supporting cast member or two and keep exclusive focus on those individual stories.  

Allowing every creator to follow the character of his choosing might seem like a nice way for each writer to put his unique mark on each title, but in practice, it’s a mess.  Peter Parker’s interest in the lives of Robbie Robertson, Flash Thompson, and Billy Walters seems sporadic at best.  And most of these character subplots are absolute duds.  Robbie’s conflict boils down to his wife nagging him into retirement…a misguided concept that drags on for months.  And the rich, new supporting cast members that the Empire State University setting was supposed to bring us -- do the names Shantal Wilsk and Marina Caches ring a bell?  No, of course they don’t, because they’re ciphers that no one ever developed into believable personalities.  

Speaking of ciphers, the issue of the Stacy family has to be addressed.  Added to the titles at the urging of editor-in-chief Bob Harras, but with apparently no guidance on what to actually do with the characters, the Stacys languished in the background for a few months and predictably contributed nothing.  Eventually, it’s simply declared that Jill Stacy is MJ’s best friend, although no creator seems willing to explain how exactly one explores a friendship with a piece of cardboard.  Paul Stacy is allegedly Peter’s academic rival, a role that serves no real point since none of the writers are invested at all in Peter’s college life.  And Arthur Stacy makes a few empty threats to investigate Spider-Man, a plot that’s referenced in a surprisingly great issue of Unlimited, and then pretty much disappears.  Marvel promised a revived focus on the supporting cast upon Peter Parker’s return, and this is what it delivered.

The Marriage

I’m not interested in debating whether or not Peter and MJ should be married.  Everyone has his or her opinion on this and it’s hard to see anyone budging by now. However, Peter and MJ are married at this point in the titles, and since Marvel has no nerve to separate or divorce the couple, then the stories should contain a genuine focus on the dynamics of their relationship.  And almost none of them do.  J. M. DeMatteis steps up once again and puts in a real effort, while Todd Dezago’s stories in Sensational occasionally hint at the fun, sexy side of their marriage.  To the other creators, the marriage seems to be a subject to be avoided at all costs, or an excuse for Spider-Man to endure another lecture from his unsympathetic wife.  More annoyingly, MJ’s personality shift seems to happen overnight with no real justification within the stories.  

The Status Quo

This era of Spider-Man begins with Peter and MJ returning to New York.  The baby, as far as they know, was stillborn.  Aunt May is dead.  They can’t afford a place in Manhattan so they live in Aunt May’s old home with MJ’s Aunt Anna.  Peter returns to work at the Daily Bugle.  Both Peter and MJ enroll at ESU and try to start their life as a couple over again.  There’s clearly an effort to go back to a situation that the readers are familiar with, while not outright pressing the reset button.  The lost baby is always a thorny issue, but there is the occasional scene that manages to broach the subject in a tasteful and poignant way.  Aunt Anna initially comes across like a replacement Aunt May in this situation, and never seems to outgrow the role.  (Anna’s considered such a nuisance by the writers that she goes several months at a time without even making an appearance.)  

Having Peter and MJ move back into Aunt May’s old place is an idea I’ve always liked, and it’s a shame that more isn’t done with the Forest Hills neighborhood.  The new neighbors introduced in Sensational seemed to have some potential as recurring characters, although we’ll never know what might’ve been.  The return to ESU always comes across as something Bob Harras thought was a great idea, but none of the people working day-to-day on the books had the slightest interest in.  There is the occasional “Chaos on Campus!” plot, but for the most part, the college is a background element that adds nothing to the stories.  The idea that MJ is suddenly desperate to study psychology also comes across as arbitrary.  The Daily Bugle makes a welcome return, although it’s hard to think of any particularly great stories that use the setting.  Jonah Jameson has his moments in Spectacular Spider-Man, but the grand mystery involving him and Mad Jack fizzles out in a, well, spectacular fashion.  

In retrospect, this setup should’ve produced several memorable stories.  The only elements that don’t fit into the “classic Spidey” mold are holdovers from the clone days that would’ve eventually faded away.  At some point, the status of Peter and MJ’s baby would have to receive a definitive answer, and someone needs to find a unique role for Aunt Anna; outside of those issues, there’s no obvious reason why this status quo shouldn’t work…unless you’re absolutely adamant that a) Aunt May shouldn’t be dead and b) Peter shouldn’t be married.

The End of Spider-Man (?)

From 1996 to 1998, the post-clone era usually remained under the radar.  As I mentioned earlier, not bad sellers, but certainly not great ones, either.  Perhaps the die was cast when Wizard (still rather powerful within the industry in the mid-90s) printed an article in late 1997 detailing the ennui that surrounded the Spider-Man titles.  In another piece from this era, Wizard stated its belief that Aunt May shouldn’t have been the one to die in Amazing #400…it should’ve been MJ!  Yes, that pesky marriage is the problem, along with a series of issues the magazine claimed were holding the titles back.  Wizard’s solution seemed to boil down to “go back to the Roger Stern days.”  Marvel was thinking retro, but not in the way Wizard probably expected.  (You can read the article on the "What Would Spidey Do?" blog. It's typical of Wizard’s writing of this era -- arrogant and ignorant simultaneously. I have a hard time making it through the piece, even though I agree with many of their points.)

Marvel tried to revive interest in the titles with two connected crossovers, “Spiderhunt” and “Identity Crisis,” but before the second crossover was even finished, the big announcement had been made.  The Spider-Man line was getting relaunched with a series of new #1s.  John Byrne was coming over from DC to reboot Spider-Man’s first year with Twice Told Tales (later renamed Chapter One), and Howard Mackie would be the sole present-day continuity Spider-Man writer.  The reboot/relaunch turned out to be a critical flop, and after an initial sales bump, the Spider-Man titles were no better off than before.  

The Chapter One/Next Chapter era was so hated for so long that memories of the preceding era seemed to fade away.  In most fans’ minds, Spider-Man goes from Clone Saga to reboot to J. Michael Straczynski, with no gap in-between.  There is an era nestled in there, though.  I wouldn’t argue that it’s best forgotten -- there are numerous stories in there that are true to the character and worth any fan’s time -- but perhaps it is easily overlooked.  Let’s face it, the titles rarely interacted with one another, there seemed to be no overall direction for the line, and no title seemed to generate a momentum that could last for more than a few issues.  It’s hard to name one element that defines this era, and even though individual story arcs can be singled out for praise, overall the Spider-line was so unfocused and aimless that it feels as if there’s nothing to hold on to.  It’s a quirky, brief blip in the character’s overall history, doomed to obscurity.

Does the Post-Clone Era Even Have a Name?

I’m not quite sure what Marvel expected to happen when Peter Parker returned to the Spider-Man books in the fall of 1996.  Yes, it’s easy to make the case that the majority of fans wanted the Clone Saga over and Peter reinstated as Spider-Man (even though Ben Reilly turned out to have a more dedicated fanbase than anyone could’ve predicted), but Marvel’s approach to the return seemed strangely low-key.  There wasn’t a new title with a fresh #1 issue.  No multi-title crossover to herald his first month back.  No cover gimmicks.  No variant covers that I’m aware of.  Heck, the creative teams even stayed basically the same.  The only new addition was J. M. DeMatteis on Spectacular Spider-Man, and by “new” I mean “back after a year away.”  Marvel’s assumption seemed to be that by simply giving the fans what they claimed to want, all eyes would return to Spider-Man and things would work out okay.  

Looking back, I wonder now if Marvel was reluctant to give the Spider-Man titles a large marketing push so soon after the launch of the “Heroes Reborn” books.   Perhaps someone thought that pushing a new Spidey #1 just a month or so after Avengers, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and Captain America received new #1s would’ve been too much for the market to bear.  That doesn’t really sound like Marvel, though, does it?  Also, “Heroes Reborn” was famously hated within the halls of Marvel’s offices (due to the titles being farmed out to Image creators), so it’s hard to imagine Marvel making a conscious effort to downplay one of their brightest properties in order to appease creators that were still viewed as the competition.  Honestly, I think it’s entirely possible that Marvel believed that a quick sweep under the rug of any clone silliness was all the books really need at the time.

So, by late 1996, the Spider-Man line consisted of Amazing Spider-Man, Spectacular Spider-Man, Peter Parker: Spider-Man, Sensational Spider-Man, Spider-Man Unlimited, Spider-Man Team-Up, and one title set in the past, Untold Tales of Spider-Man.  In addition to this rather lengthy list, Marvel also published a monthly series of Venom miniseries, and numerous one-shots featuring Spider-Man.  The only real marketing push I can remember for the post-clone titles were a few blurbs in the Bullpen Bulletins, boasting that the titles would have more of a “classic” feel, with Peter and MJ returning to college and new supporting cast members like the Stacy family possibly creating some fresh conflicts.

Did it work?  I’ll continue the retrospective in my next post, concluding my Spider-Man review series (which stretches all the way back to, geez, 1985!)

PETER PARKER, SPIDER-MAN #98 - November 1998

The Final Chapter

Credits:  Howard Mackie (writer), John Romita, Jr. (penciler), Scott Hanna (inks), Gregory Wright (colors), Comicraft (letters)

The Plot:  Spider-Man webs up the deranged Green Goblin, but soon notices one last pumpkin bomb in the rubble.  It explodes, causing the Daily Bugle building to collapse.  Spider-Man holds up the building with its support beam, giving its occupants time to escape.  Finally, he lifts the building’s remains and webs them into place.  He then races to the hospital to warn Reed Richards not to remove the implant in Aunt May’s brain.  Eventually, Reed figures out a way to remove the implant without setting off the DNA bombs.  Later, the Green Goblin is taken to a padded cell.  His doctors are shocked to discover what’s under his mask.  The Scriers suddenly appear and confiscate the Goblin.

The Subplots:  Jonah Jameson is more determined than ever to bring down Spider-Man after the Daily Bugle building is destroyed.  After learning that May will live, Peter burns his costume and tells MJ that he won’t allow Spider-Man to interfere with their lives again.  MJ tells Peter that her agent is helping them find a new apartment, and that she’ll make enough money to help pay for Aunt May’s medical bills.

Creative Differences:  According to John Byrne, an earlier concept of this storyline had Peter Parker driven to the brink after a series of events, wishing for a simpler time.  His wish was to be granted by the Shaper of Worlds, transforming his desire into reality, returning the teenage Spider-Man to present-day continuity. (See this Comic Book Legends Revealed column.)

Gimmicks:  This issue comes with two covers, at no extra cost.  One is the happy ending cover, and the other depicts the “end” of Spider-Man. Some copies have the happy cover on the front, others have the “death” ending stapled on top.

Review:  Naturally, this title is cancelled as well, although it’s one of the “fake” cancellations.  Peter Parker, Spider-Man will continue with the same creative team and a new #1 in only two months.  Ending Peter Parker, Spider-Man at #98 just comes across as bad planning, doesn’t it?  Why not end Sensational or Spectacular an issue or two earlier, and then allow PPSM to reach #100?  It’s surprising that Marvel passed up on an opportunity for a big anniversary issue, although I guess they reasoned that the new Peter Parker, Spider-Man #1 would be an equal, or better, commercial draw.  Why not have both?  End this era of Spider-Man with a giant-sized Peter Parker, Spider-Man #100, and then launch into the new Peter Parker, Spider-Man (vol. 2) #1 a few months later.  Better yet, just retire Peter Parker, Spider-Man and make the companion title Spectacular Spider-Man, the original spinoff.  Ah, well.  The numbering issues are the least of the titles’ worries at this point.

It’s obvious by now that the remit for the relaunch is “back to basics.”  Not only is John Byrne rebooting the first year of Spider-Man continuity in the Chapter One maxi-series, but the new status quo established this issue has a sickly Aunt May back from the grave, Spider-Man rejected by the public, Jonah Jameson out for Spider-Man’s blood, and Peter Parker ready to throw away his tights forever.  I believe this is the first time the Spider-Man titles simply embraced nostalgia so unashamedly.  (Nostalgia was likely a partial motivation for introducing Ben Reilly, but it seems as if the creators also wanted to try something new at the time.)  Fan response was mostly negative, to say the least, and it’s not hard to discern why.  For decades, the focus on the Spider-Man titles was the Life of Peter Parker.  The direction Peter’s life should take was always up for debate, but I don’t recall any significant segment of fandom wishing that the status quo could just revert back to the 1960s.  After Bob Harras left as editor-in-chief, Marvel seemed to veer away from the retro-approach for a few years, but any attempt to progress Peter’s life was ultimately futile.  Nostalgia wasn’t the culprit in the 2000s, however.  For the sake of synergy with the movies and cartoons, Spider-Man couldn’t be allowed to move past his “classic” status quo, which means the basic setup isn’t going to vary much from the Stan Lee days.  Spider-Man in a crappy apartment, can’t get a date, can’t keep a job…the seeds of the retrofitting begin here.  Marvel wasn’t willing to go quite that far in 1998, but it’s not hard to guess how much they wanted to.

Ignoring the debate over whether or not Spider-Man should be stuck in this loop, “The Final Chapter” is tasked with providing some kind of transition between the old-new and new-old approaches.  It’s a miserable failure.  This issue opens with the revelation that the final few pages of the previous chapter were only Osborn’s fantasy, since he’s actually the one granted madness by the Gathering of Five.  It’s a predictable move, and Mackie’s attempts to write “crazy” dialogue are unbearable, but it could be argued that the creators are playing fair with the reader.  We’ve already been told that the Gathering’s gifts aren’t what they might initially seem to be, so within the context of the storyline, revealing that the previous chapter’s over-the-top cliffhanger was a hallucination isn’t a total cheat.  The rest of the issue doesn’t generate even that much goodwill, however.  The ultimate goals of this storyline are to revive Aunt May, recast Spider-Man as a public pariah, reignite Jonah’s hatred of Spider-Man, send Norman Osborn offstage, and get Peter to a place where he’s willing to hang up the webs once again.  It's all competently rendered by Romita, but can anyone argue that the story has succeeded in dramatizing any of these ideas?   

Aunt May’s resurrection is laughably absurd, and needlessly complicated, all because no one wanted to type the word “clone” at this stage.  Jonah’s justification for hating Spider-Man turns him into even more of a lunatic than he ever was in the Silver Age.  The basic idea of Jonah hating Spider-Man after the Bugle’s destruction is fine, but not when he clearly sees that Spider-Man a) is not the aggressor in the fight, and b) is risking his life to preserve what’s left of the building and save innocent lives.  (In a multi-page tribute to Amazing Spider-Man #33, of course.)  The public turning on Spider-Man again is just thrown in there, with a crowd gathering outside of the Daily Bugle, already carrying placards, and dutifully following the script.  Norman Osborn’s story ends in a cliffhanger, one I’m willing to bet was never satisfactorily resolved whenever he next appeared.  And, finally, Peter throws in the towel yet again.  This might actually be the most coherent scene in the issue, since it’s somewhat defensible that Peter would be motivated to quit after seeing how his life as Spider-Man nearly killed Aunt May.  Heck, I’ll be charitable and not complain too much about that one, even if Peter’s dialogue is wooden and unconvincing during his big dramatic moment.  But the rest of this…what’s the excuse?  This isn’t just a lame ending to a specific storyline, it’s the end of an era of the titles, the final issue of this series (sort of), the prelude to the brave “new” direction of the books…and it’s an outright bomb.  Only the most hardcore of fans, or the morbidly curious, could possibly want to come back for more of this.

PETER PARKER, SPIDER-MAN #97 - November 1998

Let the Heavens Tremble at the Power of the Goblin! The Final Chapter Part 2

Credits:  Howard Mackie (writer), John Romita, Jr. (penciler), Scott Hanna (inks), Gregory Wright (colors), Comicraft (letters)

The Plot:  The Green Goblin flies to his upstate hunting lodge to confront Spider-Man.  On the premises, Spider-Man contends with genetically altered trees and animals.  Eventually the Goblin faces Spider-Man, handing him a copy of the Osborn Journal, which the Goblin says he should’ve found months ago.  Spider-Man watches as Osborn’s written words morph into an accusation that Peter Parker poisoned his aunt when she discovered he’s Spider-Man.  Enraged, Spider-Man knocks the Goblin down and restrains him with webbing.  He enters a bedroom, expecting to find his daughter May.  Instead, he’s struck with a vase by Aunt May.

The Subplots:  MJ is fitted with clothes for her new modeling assignment, but is now unsure if she’s doing the right thing.

Web of Continuity:  

• This issue marks the full debut of the Green Goblin’s new costume.  It’s the first of many John Byrne will redesign during this era.
• Osborn claims Spider-Man should’ve found his journal when he invaded Osborn’s office back in Spectacular Spider-Man #250.
• The Osborn Journal was a one-shot published in 1997 with the goal of tying up some of the loose ends surrounding Norman Osborn’s resurrection.  According to Osborn this issue, the journal was a mix of truth and lies.

“Huh?” Moment:  MJ remarks that the dress she’s trying on costs more than she’s been making in a year.  She hasn’t had a job in a year, right?

Miscellaneous Note:  The Statement of Ownership lists average sales for the year at 108,050 copies, with the most recent issue selling 103,907.

Review:  Admittedly, this issue isn’t as shamefully bad as the previous PPSM, but it’s still terrible.  I’m forced to revert, once again, to bullet points.

• The issue opens with one of the dumbest clichés of the modern age, the villain killing his henchmen for absolutely no reason.  It’s possible that this was a chilling idea once, it sounds like something Denny O’Neil would’ve done with the Joker back in the ‘70s, but I can’t personally recall a time when it’s ever had any impact.  Seriously, did any of these scenes ever elicit any kind of a response out of you?  Did anyone ever mourn the loss of Background Goon #3?  A villain killing his pawn for failing him, sure; but the random murder of faceless underlings is an utterly moronic move for any so-called “brilliant” mastermind.  How is he going to find new flunkies if he keeps killing his existing ones for dramatic effect?
• Not only is Osborn now acting like a cut-rate Joker, but the story has him stealing gimmicks from a different villain every few pages.  He’s created an evil garden for Spider-Man to swing through, plus freakish mutated animals (which are virtually identical to the demons Romita, Jr. designed back in Daredevil’s Mephisto arc), he’s written a fake journal with the goal of framing Peter Parker, and he has a new plan to detonate a “DNA Bomb” that will reshape the world in his image.  Only one of those schemes actually sounds like something Osborn would do, and it’s the plot that he casually gives up on this issue.
• Speaking of the fake journal…I’m sure anyone who bought the Osborn Journal a few months earlier in order to piece together how exactly Marvel justified reviving Osborn was thrilled to discover that it had been written in disappearing ink and was filled with lies.
• 
  The combination of John Romita, Jr., Scott Hanna, and colorist Gregory Wright do a lot to sell the mood this issue.  I would argue that they’re solely responsible for any atmosphere the issue contains.  The pages of Spider-Man confronting the Green Goblin at dusk look amazing; they’re almost pretty enough to distract from the utter nonsense the characters are speaking.
• Not surprisingly at this point, the scripting is a mess.  The issue opens with one of Osborn’s goons thinking, “He’s letting us help with the new costume,” (as we plainly see the goons dressing Osborn) and things don’t improve from there.  Someone might argue that it’s an intentional effort to evoke the Silver Age, but really, there’s no charm here.  It’s just awkward.  Try reading some of this stuff aloud.  “But, as with any great act of creation there will be some casualties and a significant amount of pain.  To that end you might consider my killing you a gift bestowed upon an old friend of the Osborn family!”
• “Thanks for the generous offer, Norman, but I’m going to have to refuse…on account of your being a nut case!”  Awful jokes, too.
• The return of Aunt May…since this is the last page reveal, I’ll hold off on discussing this in-depth until later.  I will acknowledge that as a cliffhanger, this is guaranteed to get some reaction out of the readership.  (People honestly believed at the time that Marvel would never revive Aunt May.)  If someone like J. M. DeMatteis wrote this scene, I would have some faith that something clever is coming next.  Having May call Spider-Man a “horrible creature” and attack him with a vase would’ve been a cute joke if the next chapter revealed that this is some kind of impostor given out-of-date directions, but that’s simply not the case.  Yes, not only is Marvel reviving Aunt May, but we’re getting that Aunt May…